The Second Yang on the Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the path the Sun traces across the sky over the course of a year. The twelve zodiac signs are like murals painted along this circular route, allowing people to tell which part of the journey the Sun has reached and whether it has completed a full cycle.
Aries is the first sign on the ecliptic and symbolizes the beginning of a new year. Unlike Capricorn, which is depicted as a half-goat, half-fish creature, Aries is imagined as a male ram with brilliant golden fleece. The word “mu” in Chinese emphasizes not only the ram’s gender, but also its impulsive and courageous nature.
The Birth of the Golden Ram
The Golden Ram was named Chrysomallus. Although the name was given by Zeus, his birth was actually connected to Poseidon, the god of the sea.
Theophane was a beautiful young woman, and countless suitors came to propose to her, forming a long line outside her home. One day, Poseidon happened to pass by. After glancing inside and being struck by Theophane’s beauty, he transformed himself into a ram, rushed into her house, and carried her away to a nearby island. Panicked, the girl struggled desperately. The noise attracted the island’s inhabitants, who tried to pull her away from the ram, but Poseidon turned them all into animals. Later, Theophane’s suitors also arrived on the island. To avoid being disturbed, Poseidon turned Theophane into a sheep as well. Unexpectedly, when the men failed to find her, they began hunting the animals on the island. In desperation, Poseidon had no choice but to turn the suitors into animals too, finally allowing him to pursue Theophane without interference. Later, Theophane gave birth to a strong and clever ram with prominent horns and dazzling golden fleece. Zeus was very fond of this ram and named him Chrysomallus.
The Mission of the Golden Ram
While Poseidon was busy turning everyone into animals, Zeus was courting a cloud nymph named Nephele, who resembled Queen Hera. After Hera discovered this, she arranged for Nephele to marry a mortal king named Athamas. Nephele bore the king two children, a brother and a sister named Phrixus and Helle. However, the couple did not truly love each other and eventually parted ways. Soon after, the king married Ino.
As the stepmother of the two children, Ino was initially kind to them, until she had children of her own. In order for her own children to receive all the attention, Ino devised a cruel plot. Ino roasted the seeds meant for planting, making it impossible for the farmers to grow crops. The king had no choice but to consult the temple priests for an oracle. Unbeknownst to him, the priests had been bribed by Ino and told him that the two children must be sacrificed in order to appease the gods.
Desperately knowing this, Nephele could only pray to Zeus to save her children. At the very moment they were about to be sacrificed, the Golden Ram Chrysomallus descended from the sky. He let the siblings climb onto his back and flew off toward the horizon. With the help of the Golden Ram, the siblings escaped death. However, Helle lost her balance and fell from the ram’s back into the sea. In the end, only her brother Phrixus reached a land called Colchis. Later, the brother sacrificed the ram to the gods, and presented the Golden Fleece to the king of Colchis as a gift. Zeus then placed the Golden Ram among the stars, making it the first zodiac sign representing the spring equinox.
Observation Guide
Aries is not very bright. On a clear night without light pollution or moonlight, it can be found between Taurus and Pegasus. By locating the three stars that form the head of Aries and extending the line to a single star at the tail, the outline of the ram can be traced. Interestingly, the constellation depiction of Aries does not show its most famous Golden Fleece, because in the story, the Golden Fleece was left on Earth.
In ancient Greek astronomy, the head of Aries corresponded exactly to the spring equinox on the ecliptic, which is why the spring equinox is named after Aries in English. Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the spring equinox has now shifted into the region of Pisces, but Aries still symbolizes beginnings and action.
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Easter Egg
The soft texture, completely different from scales,delighted him so much.
He decided to order a custom-made wool sweater!
